Final answer:
Prolonged exposure to loud noises can cause hearing loss, high blood pressure, elevated heart rate, headaches, and ulcers. Protective measures like earplugs and minimization of exposure time are essential. Hearing damage is particularly common in certain loud environments and can have immediate effects at extremely high decibels. The Correct Answer is Option .C.
Step-by-step explanation:
The adverse effects associated with prolonged exposure to noise at uncomfortable levels include hearing loss, increased blood pressure, elevated heart rate, headaches, and ulcers. Being exposed to sounds of 80 decibels (dB) and above can damage our hearing over time. To prevent hearing damage, it's crucial to take measures such as using earplugs or earmuffs, limiting exposure time, and increasing the distance from the noise source.
Environments like a noisy factory or being close to a siren can potentially cause hearing damage if exposed to for 8 hours a day. At even higher volumes, like those at a loud rock concert or next to a pneumatic chipper, the threshold of pain can be reached, summing up to severe pain and immediate damage in a matter of seconds. Sensorineural hearing loss, the most common form of hearing loss, can occur from such environmental factors, and it often shows a dip near the 4000 Hz frequency, affecting both ears.